Lock.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

R. JOHNSON.

iUNITED STATES Pn ENT oFFio.

RANDALL JOHNSON, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

LOCK.

Application filed. February 26, 1907 Serial N 0. 359,378.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RANDALL JOHNSON, a citizen of the United S ates, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a lock of that f type in which the bolt is locked by the dropplng of a coin into the casing of the lock, whereupon a key is released for permitting the bolt to be unlocked when desired, and is especially adapted for drawers, doors or hat,

., coat or umbrella racks used-in hotels, theaters, restaurants and other public places whereby articles can be securely locked by ,a person dropping a coin into the lock, thereby receiving a key for subsequently opening viously placed on the rack.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of devices of this character so as- .to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, thoroughly reliable and efficient in use, proofagainst tampering with, and; composed of few parts.

- releasing A further 0 ject of theinvention is the provision of a lock in which the bolt is locked y coin actuated means and unlocked by a key which is released during the locking of the bolt so as to be subsequently used for the bolt to permit the lock to be i opened when desired.

With theseobjects in view and others, as

will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention comprises the various .novel features' of construction and arrangement of parts which'lwil' be more fully described here inafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a front view of a lock. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the key.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the lock casing which may be of any suitable construction and provided with chutes 1 and 2 for the reception of a key and coin, respectively. Thesechutes are preferably of irregulai' shape so to prevent the insertion of a wire or other nistrun'ient for actuating the Specification of Letters Patent.

the lock to removethe article pre,

ratented June 2, 1908.

locking mechanism. In the casing is arranged a reciprocatory bolt 3 which is preferably provided with a spring 4 for holding it in normal position. Spaced stops 5 serve as guides for the bolt and the latter is provided with projections 6 that engage with the stops to limit the outward movement of the b'olt.

Arranged above the bolt is a gravity acting detent 6 fulcrumed at 7 and having a tooth 8 adapted to engage ina notch 9 in the top of the bolt. One end of the detent projects through an opening 10 in the adjacent wall of the key chute 1 so as to be actuated by a key passing through the chute. The chutes l and 2 are suitably spaced apart and between them is arranged a coin actuated means for. releasing the key. This means comprises a latch or actuating lever 11 fulcrumed at 12 and cooperating with a trigger or releasing member 13 that serves to suspend the key in a position-to hold the detent 6 open or in unlocked position. The member 11 is .provided with an arm 14 that extends through a slot 15 in the wall of the chute 2 so that the extremity of the arm will be in the path of the coin, check or other token 16, as it drops through the chute. The trigger 13 is fulcrumed at17 and is provided with a nose 18 that protrudes through a slot 1.9 in the wall of the chute 1 opposite from that having the slot 10. The member his so connected with the tri ger or releasing member 13 that as the member 11 is actuated by a coin, the member 13 is moved so that the nose or projection 11 passes into the slot 1 9 and out of the chute 1. The key 20 has a suitably shaped body that is provided with a plurality of longitudinally-exteniling slots 21 that engage the ribs 22 at the upper endor mouth of the chute 1. These ribs andsiots will be made of different sizes for different locks and a key for a given lock will be numbered to correspond therewith so that each lock will be opened only by its own key. The key is provided with a projection23 arranged to ohgage the nose 18 so that the key is drop pod into the slot, it willbe arrested by the trigger and suspended thereon. As the key passes down the chute, it will light on the end of the detentextending into the chute and raise the tooth 8 out of the notch 9 of the bolt and hold 1 the detent in raised or inoperaliw position.

i Fig. 2, the bolt 3 free to mowhack and When'the detent isin the position shown in forth to accomplish this, the bolt is provided with a handle 25, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the bolt is readily withdrawn.

To indicate the condition of thelock, the front plate is provided with an opening 26 which discloses the word Closed or Open, according to whether the bolt 3 is locked by the detent or unlocked bythe deten't being released therefrom. As shown in Fig. 1, the rear wall of the chute 1 has the word Closed afiixed thereto, while on' the front side of the key is the Word .Open. When thekey is in position, as shown in Fig. 2, the word Open registers with the slot 26. This means that the detent 6 is in raised position and the bolt 3 can be moved back and forth. I/Vhen the key has dropped out as by actuating the locking mechanism by a coin, the word Closed will be viewed through the opening 26. This means that the detent 6 has been released from the key and engaged the bolt 3 for holding it locked.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the in vention appertains. In operation, a coin is dropped into the chute 2 when it is desired to unlock the bolt, and this coin strikes the arm 14 of the actuating member 11, and moves the trigger 13 to disengage the nose 18 from the projection of the key 3. The key is then free to drop out through the bottom of the chute 1 into the hand of the person opening the lock as the key drops from its normal position when the detent is actuated, so as to lock the bolt in position. As long as the key is retained, the lock is closed, as will be indicated b the word seen through the opening 26. IN ien it is desired to open the lock, the key is inserted into the chute 1 and permitted to drop from the same. This actuates the detent 6 and holds it 0 on and the key comes to rest on the nose 18 o the trigger 13. The bolt 3 can then be withdrawn without the detent interfering. As long as the key is in position, the word 0 en is exposed throu h the opening 26 to in icate that the bolt of t e lock can be actuated by the handle 25. A suitable receptacle may be arranged at the bottom of the chute 2 for receiving the coins that are used to 'lock the bolt, as will be readily understood.

I have described the princi le of operation of the invention, together witli the apparatus which I now consi er to be the best embodiment thereof, but desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired, as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:-

' 1. The combination of a casing, spaced coin and key chutes therein, a bolt passing through one wall of the casing, a locking detent mounted to gravitate to locking osition and disposed between the bolt an the key chute and arrangedwith one end disposed within the latter, a coin-actuated member ivotally mounted between the chutes an having "a portion disposed within the coin chute and weighted to gravitate to normal position, a pivotally mounted keysupporting member tending to gravitate to normal positionand engaging the first-men- 'tioned member whereby each member serves to hold the other in normal position, said members being so disposed as to be actuated solely by the wei ht of a coin, and a key cooperating with t1,e second member for unlocking the detent and holding the same in' unlocked position while the members are in normal position.

2. Ina lock, the combination of a casing, a

key chute therein having opposite walls slotted, a coin chute having one of its walls slotted, a notched bolt in the casing,"a detent having a tooth at one end to engage the notch of the bolt and arranged with its opposite end pro'ecting into the key chute through one 0 its slots, an actuator fulcrumed between the, chutes and'having one end extending through the slot of the coin chute for actuation by a coin, a fulcrumed tri ger connected withthe actuator and provi ed with a projection extending into the key chute through one of its slots, and a key providedwith a projection arranged to engage that of the trig er for holding the key in engagement with t e detent.

3. n a look, a casing having an o ening, a

.key chute in the casing having t e word Closed 'on its rear wall at a point op osite the opening, a key having the word pen on its front to be disclosed through the openin of the casing, a bolt, a detent arranged to ho d the bolt locked when the word Closed is exposed through the opening and to unlock the bolt when the word Open is eX- posed, and a coin-actuated meansfor releasably suspending the key in a position to hold the detent in open position. I

4. In a lock, the combination of a casing for separate coin and key chutes, a bolt, a gravitating detent for locking the bolt, a check key for holding the detent in unlocking position, a coin'actuated member pivoted and overbalanced to return to normal position by gravity, and a second member actuated by the first member and returned by gravity to normal position and arran ed to hold the key in a position to retain t e detent out of engagement with the bolt.

5. In a lock, the combination of a casing having separate coin and key chutes, a bolt mounted in the casing, a detent located above the bolt and having one end overbalanced to gravitate to lock position, a check key movable through the key slot and adapted to engage one end of the detent for raising the heevierend thereof out of engagement withthe bolt, a pivoted member adapted to automatically return to normal osition by gravity and arranged to hold the ey in a osition to. retain the detent in unlocking re ation to the bolt, and a pivoted coin actuated member permanently engaging the first member and eooperatin .therewith toreturn by gravity to norms, position to be, e6 tuated by a coin. v v

' In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- RANDALL J OHN SON. Witnesses: i M. D. GUTHRIE,

E. RAMIN. 

